how to sell high res images allowing download after paying? Gallery2

Hi all,
one of my customers would be able to sell his photograps using zencart.
It should be able to upload the high res images on the server (can he do this using using the zen-cart admin pages?) and then the low res images for browsing and viewing (before paying) are automatically created and uploaded.

After paying, the client should be able to download the high res images he paid for.

But I'm a newbie to zen-cart and it seems that you cannot upload high res images easily.
You have to upload the high res images by hand (using an FTP client) and the re-upload the low res images using, for example, Image handler 2.0.

Is this right or am I missing something here?

I would like to set a simple system that allow the customer to upload his high res images and all other task are carried out automatically (low res images are auto created and downloadable images area already in place).

Is there someone that can help me understand?

Thanks you very much for your collaboration.

gargiulo

The LOW RES image is a descriptive element, used to augment and support the product description. It goes into the IMAGES folder.

The HIGH RES image is a PRODUCT, and must be available for download. It goes into the DOWNLOADS folder (preferably ZIPPED UP).

And YES... You should always use a GOOD Ftp program to upload files to the server.

While the uploading is an issue, I think the major concern with photo sites is the management of multiple images, particularly on high turnover sites like wedding photos, events etc, where many photos could be added or removed on a daily or weekly basis.
The usual solution for this so far is to use one of the gallery packages to manage the photos, with some sort of integration with an ecommerce shop product.
Hareslade did some work recently on Zen Cart customisation for photo products, as well as Singapore Gallery integration. A forum search should find the links.
I also have a beta upgraded Gallery2 and Zen Cart 1.3.7 integration if you're interested in testing/using it.

Rgds,
Chuck

Chuck is absolutely right...

Gallery2 is excellent for this purpose - we use it on some of our sites too. While it DOES integrate with Zen Cart, we have it as a "stand-alone".

Chuckl:

Hareslade did some work recently on Zen Cart customisation for photo products, as well as Singapore Gallery integration. A forum search should find the links.
I also have a beta upgraded Gallery2 and Zen Cart 1.3.7 integration if you're interested in testing/using it.
Chuck

Hi Chuck,
I can't find any post by Hereslade (or slade).
About your beta, I would be glad to beta test it.

TIA

Gagiulo

No prob Gagulio, I've attached a zip with (I hope) all the files, including a readme with some notes.
Hareslades site is at

http://www.hareslade.com/zc/index.php

if you're interested in what he's done. He was very active a couple of months back developing a photo gallery type product for Zen Cart. I've been meaning to follow up to check on cross integrating it with the Gallery2 mod, but time.....

Rgds,
Chuck

Chuckl:

I also have a beta upgraded Gallery2 and Zen Cart 1.3.7 integration if you're interested in testing/using it.
Hi Chuckl,

I am setting up Gallery2 and wanted to use the ZenCart module...just cannot seem to get the Gallery2 integration module to accept the path. I tried downloading ZC 1.3.7, then tried 1.2.7 - no dice.

Do you think your integration module may help me facilitate this?

Many thanks,
Mary

Hi Mary, Sorry I missed your post, hence a very belated reply. Yes, this is a 'fixed' version of the gallery2 summer of code contribution. There can be severe path issues, fixed by a Gallery2 mod setting and changing one Z C table in some instances.

Rgds,

Chuck

Chuckl:

Hi Mary, Sorry I missed your post, hence a very belated reply. Yes, this is a 'fixed' version of the gallery2 summer of code contribution. There can be severe path issues, fixed by a Gallery2 mod setting and changing one Z C table in some instances.

Rgds,

ChuckHi Chuck, thank you for the reply! Much appreciated.

I have installed ZC and G2 per the directions in the readme, but for the life of me, I just cannot get Gallery2 to accept the ZenCart path I provide, which is absolute. So I wonder if the ZC table is my hiccup. I think i have a "severe" path issue...grin.

Mary

The main issues directly related to paths are as follows:

You need to change the Zen Cart product table to enable slightly longer paths than may be usual for Zen Cart - Run the following SQL in Admin-Tools-SQL Patch or PHPAdmin/your favourite SQL manager.

ALTER TABLE PREFIX_products CHANGE products_image products_image VARCHAR
(255)

The PREFIX bit is just there in case you use a prefix on your Zen Cart tables - zen_ or similar. If not, it's just 'products'.
In Gallery2 module options, it is almost always necessary to enable 'long thumbnail URL's'.

Finally, what I think you are saying is a problem, you need to specify a 'path to zencart files'. This is the same path as the entry in your Zen Cart configure.php for FS_CATALOG e.g.

define('DIR_FS_CATALOG', '/var/www/webs/web/');

the /var/www..... bit.

Then the crucial but unstated bits - both ZC and G2 must be installed on the same 'website'.
You probably could them to work on 2 separate domains, but I don't even want to think about the permissions involved. My usual is install Zen Cart in the web root folder - public_html or whatever, with Gallery2 in a /gallery or /g2 folder below that.
Same user from both to access the common database. Again, not essential, but permissions come back to bite you.
Create an empty product category in Zen Cart into which Gallery2 can place the images. Do not even think about using the root, or highest level category. Here be dragons.
And of course, use only the files posted, the original files for Zen Cart 1.2.5 etc do NOT work with 1.3.X.
If you could post any error messages you are getting, I can perhaps dig further. I certainly went through exactly such issues with paths when I first started with this.

Rgds,

Chuck

Chuckl:

Finally, what I think you are saying is a problem, you need to specify a 'path to zencart files'. This is the same path as the entry in your Zen Cart configure.php for FS_CATALOG e.g.Hi Chuck,

I followed all the steps, up to and including checking permissions on the integration directories/files. In addition to that, I added both G2 and Zencart DB users to configure.php in /zencart/includes. When I attempt to configure the Zencart module in G2 where it says "Path to Zencart directory", I get this: **One or more of the integration files are missing from your Zen Cart directory.
**
:censored: :censored: :censored:

Thanks again,
PCGODDESS

Could you expand a bit on adding both DB users to configure.php?

The missing files error is at about the minor irritation level. First check is that the path you have entered in G2 has a closing / Unlike Zen Cart G2 requires it.
i.e. /var/www/whatever/public_html/ not /var/www/whatever/public_html

Secondly, it is part of a highly scientific 'install verify' routine that simply checks for:
folder
/includes/modules/pages/product_gallery_info/

and files
/includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_product_gallery_info_display.php
/includes/modules/pages/product_gallery_info/main_template_vars.php

on the path that you entered.

Rgds,

Chuck

Hello,

I'm starting down a Gallery2/Zencart path and arrived at this thread. Am I right to see that there are two separate bridge applications going on here? The:

Zen Cart™ Version: v1.3.7
Version: 0.9.1
Last Updated: May 03 2007
Author: Chuck Redman

and then the harslade fork of a G2/ZC integration??

After researching all this and install the 0.9.1 module, a couple of questions if I may....

Do either one of these applications support a 'per object pricing', meaning a customized price per object so pricing can be set for each item separately?

Also, do either of the bridge applications provide for the CSS to follw from G2 down into ZenCart, so the same page style is maintained into the ZC side?

Will look forward to any responses and in the mean time will of course work on the modules to see if I can discover the answers as well.

tx

Chuckl:

No prob Gagulio, I've attached a zip with (I hope) all the files, including a readme with some notes.
Hareslades site is at

http://www.hareslade.com/zc/index.php

if you're interested in what he's done. He was very active a couple of months back developing a photo gallery type product for Zen Cart. I've been meaning to follow up to check on cross integrating it with the Gallery2 mod, but time.....

Rgds,
Chuck

The way the Gallery2 integration is currently set up, there is a default set of options that are passed through from G2 to Zencart when an image is added to an Album in the Gallery. That default set is the same for all images.
In that sense the module is aimed towards a 'bulk' automated market. e.g. You take 200 photos at an event, upload them, and they are instantly available for purchase.
Either some changes to the Gallery2 integration code, or product editing on Zen Cart could alter that.
From the direction of your question, I think you are looking to sell 'individual' images at individual prices? If so, I think Hareslades work is more suited to that approach, but he is a better person to answer that than I.
A word of warning that if you are talking any kind of volumes here, the admin overhead/workload would be considerable.

On the template side, Gallery2 is based on Smarty templates, Zencart is not. To achieve a consistent 'look and feel' you would need to modify the templates in both, identifying the similar tags and elements in each environment.

drhiii,

Can you tell me why you want to use Gallery 2 for this? I'm working on the same type of site for my photo sales. However I'm just going to use Zen Cart to sell the photos and merchandise with the photos on them, cups tshirts, etc.

Now keep in mind, I say working on it, but it's still in the planning stages. My other projects are keeping me busy. :blink:

By the way, I went to the Antique Road Show with some photos to be appraised. Not mine, these were shot in WWI, dutch army photos.

I asked the appraiser what photos I should be taken if I wanted to be remembered as a photographer in 100 years. His advice, "Don't shoot rocks and trees. Buildings, People, Events. That's what makes a photo's collectible antiques."

Wonder what Ansel Adams would think of that? haha.

JP

Thank you for these excellent answers. They are much appreciated. I believe you are the 'cer' on the gallery forums as well and I just left a post there before I realized it.

I will revisit your information here as I am indeed having an issue with the thumbnail displaying in Zencart. It shows a "no image" image, something like that, so it appears it is trying to pull something from G2, but oddly, it ends in a .html and not a .jpg. This of course is not right. I am wondering if it is a URL issue as has been mentioned already. It is using the same domain name, but it looks like this:

g2.abcxyz.com and zen.abcxyz.com

Meaning the same domains, but not based off of the same prefix. That seems to be causing a problem and it may indeed be THE problem. Am mucking my way through it.

Also, I did grab down harslades' code and it threw me, so I may try to get this G2/ZC integration working first, then try and tackle that one. It appears I can set a default pricing for bulk uploads, but I believe I can override it in this bridge from what I see. So I think it can do both. I know it gets into some significant management to do per object pricing, but the volume is not that great.

Anyway, I very much appreciate your taking the time to respond.... I will study and come back after I have worked the information handed to me.

regards

Chuckl:

The way the Gallery2 integration is currently set up, there is a default set of options that are passed through from G2 to Zencart when an image is added to an Album in the Gallery. That default set is the same for all images.
In that sense the module is aimed towards a 'bulk' automated market. e.g. You take 200 photos at an event, upload them, and they are instantly available for purchase.
Either some changes to the Gallery2 integration code, or product editing on Zen Cart could alter that.
From the direction of your question, I think you are looking to sell 'individual' images at individual prices? If so, I think Hareslades work is more suited to that approach, but he is a better person to answer that than I.
A word of warning that if you are talking any kind of volumes here, the admin overhead/workload would be considerable.

On the template side, Gallery2 is based on Smarty templates, Zencart is not. To achieve a consistent 'look and feel' you would need to modify the templates in both, identifying the similar tags and elements in each environment.

One further tidbit to advance a question.... I will reinstall to get to this environment but wanted to ask here...

Do I get it right that the recommendation is to install ZenCart, then G2, in the following order:

../public_html/zencart
../public_html/zencart/gallery2

Do I have this right?

Chuckl:

The way the Gallery2 integration is currently set up, there is a default set of options that are passed through from G2 to Zencart when an image is added to an Album in the Gallery. That default set is the same for all images.
In that sense the module is aimed towards a 'bulk' automated market. e.g. You take 200 photos at an event, upload them, and they are instantly available for purchase.
Either some changes to the Gallery2 integration code, or product editing on Zen Cart could alter that.
From the direction of your question, I think you are looking to sell 'individual' images at individual prices? If so, I think Hareslades work is more suited to that approach, but he is a better person to answer that than I.
A word of warning that if you are talking any kind of volumes here, the admin overhead/workload would be considerable.

On the template side, Gallery2 is based on Smarty templates, Zencart is not. To achieve a consistent 'look and feel' you would need to modify the templates in both, identifying the similar tags and elements in each environment.

Ah, why G2 and ZenCart? This would take a long answer. Am not sure this mix will work anyway. It is a unique application, meaning usage, of how to present images into commerce. ZenCart by itself could not satisfy this method. It would take a lot longer to explain but will say that your genre of imagery falls into this model.

Not a good explanation I know. If you are curious-er, send a private email and I can spin up on it a bit more.

And good one re: Ansel Adams. I am sure he is rolling on the floor watching what has transpired with his images and legacy. Last laugh kind of thing...

tx

birdoasis:

drhiii,

Can you tell me why you want to use Gallery 2 for this? I'm working on the same type of site for my photo sales. However I'm just going to use Zen Cart to sell the photos and merchandise with the photos on them, cups tshirts, etc.

Now keep in mind, I say working on it, but it's still in the planning stages. My other projects are keeping me busy. :blink:

By the way, I went to the Antique Road Show with some photos to be appraised. Not mine, these were shot in WWI, dutch army photos.

I asked the appraiser what photos I should be taken if I wanted to be remembered as a photographer in 100 years. His advice, "Don't shoot rocks and trees. Buildings, People, Events. That's what makes a photo's collectible antiques."

Wonder what Ansel Adams would think of that? haha.

JP

drhiii, Yes I am indeed the cer on the Gallery forums, I visit there once or twice a week in case anyone has a problem.

On the paths question - gallery2 in a folder off the zencart install in the top website folder, thats how I've always installed it, and it works ofr me. (I think Michael Rodrigues Torrent who wrote it originally recommended that and I've stuck with it.

Th 'path' issue is the one most prone to error, but stick with it. A missing thumbnail is an amost guaranteed sign that something is amiss. The other real gotcha is please - first thing, create a ZC category to specify as the 'root' folder for Gallery. Do NOT link to the top ZC category. Very bad things happen, and you will reinstall.

All the gallery images in ZC are simply paths back to a call to g2_view, which serves up the image - example

http://www.mydomain.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=285

the itemid being the thumbnail being displayed.

And an example of a 'Path to Zencart' in the gallery2 setup. Remember that it is the file system path, so /var/www/web1/web/
or similar - /home/www/site56/public_html/ etc. Don't forget the closing / at the end.
I also cannot stress enough how important it is to alter the product thumbnail path table in the database for the larger (255) field size. The thumbnail example I gave above would breakwith the default size. Result, no thumbnail, as only the 1st 64 chars would be stored.

Not sure on the naming, but I've always kept them on the same website. I had no problems with different databases by setting user permissions aptly, but remember, it's my server it runs on.
On a commercially hosted server, I think you'd battle, and even with different websites on the same server you would have a problem.

On the pricing/options side, yes they are settable, and changeable quite easily.

Hope that helps, good luck, and shout if there's a problem. Just remember the magic words, 'This one's for Ansel'.

Rgds,

Chuck

Oh boy, I have to say your last line, one 'one for Ansel', totally got my attention. Great line!

And, I appreciate your taking the time to walk through this information. It does take of course, time, but I will then be able to impart it to others to keep the virail effect going.

Am going to reinstall stuff right now, apply the field size to the data base, and give it a whirl again. I can see how it fits together now, and just need to bolt things together to make it work. It will be one of this gee whiz, one for Ansel moments.

Your time and energy are much appreciated.

regards

Chuckl:

drhiii, Yes I am indeed the cer on the Gallery forums, I visit there once or twice a week in case anyone has a problem.

On the paths question - gallery2 in a folder off the zencart install in the top website folder, thats how I've always installed it, and it works ofr me. (I think Michael Rodrigues Torrent who wrote it originally recommended that and I've stuck with it.

Th 'path' issue is the one most prone to error, but stick with it. A missing thumbnail is an amost guaranteed sign that something is amiss. The other real gotcha is please - first thing, create a ZC category to specify as the 'root' folder for Gallery. Do NOT link to the top ZC category. Very bad things happen, and you will reinstall.

All the gallery images in ZC are simply paths back to a call to g2_view, which serves up the image - example

http://www.mydomain.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=285

the itemid being the thumbnail being displayed.

And an example of a 'Path to Zencart' in the gallery2 setup. Remember that it is the file system path, so /var/www/web1/web/
or similar - /home/www/site56/public_html/ etc. Don't forget the closing / at the end.
I also cannot stress enough how important it is to alter the product thumbnail path table in the database for the larger (255) field size. The thumbnail example I gave above would breakwith the default size. Result, no thumbnail, as only the 1st 64 chars would be stored.

Not sure on the naming, but I've always kept them on the same website. I had no problems with different databases by setting user permissions aptly, but remember, it's my server it runs on.
On a commercially hosted server, I think you'd battle, and even with different websites on the same server you would have a problem.

On the pricing/options side, yes they are settable, and changeable quite easily.

Hope that helps, good luck, and shout if there's a problem. Just remember the magic words, 'This one's for Ansel'.

Rgds,

Chuck